Heatwave
by Tinkerbell81
Summary: What happens when a heatwave hits NYC - It makes people do things they never meant to do, but that doesn't mean it doesn't take you to the one place you long to be...


**This is my first CSI NY fan fic - I don't own any of the character :(**

Heatwave

Don Flack was having a bad day. New York had gone nuts, and as far as he was concerned it was all down to the temperature. New York was in the middle of a heatwave. The temperature hadn't been below 30 degrees in nearly a week, and it had sent the city crazy.

He sighed as he made his way back into the precinct wanting some time away from the heat. The air conditioning was heaven. He never thought he'd ever rather be at his desk than out on the job, but today was one of those days. As he approached his desk he saw something on it. He smiled when he saw the coffee and the sandwich; he knew just who it was from before he even read the note

_I did promise you dinner._

_SB_

Don sat down at his desk and ate his dinner as he started on the paperwork relating to his most recent case. As he finished his phone rang and he sighed, he really didn't need another case

"Flack" he answered

"We got a break, found some DNA" came Danny's voice

"Tell me we have a match Messer"

"We have a match" Danny confirmed

"Meet you out front?"

"On my way" Danny answered

Maybe something was finally going right today, Don thought as he finished the last mouthful of coffee.

Don made his way to the front of the precinct to meet Danny when he saw Stella coming out of interrogation followed by Angell and a prisoner. She smiled at him and he stopped as she asked him

"Enjoy your dinner?"

"Yeah, not as good as your home cooking though" he replied

Stella smiled "Maybe next time"

"Yo Flack lets go" Danny yelled before he had a chance to respond.

"Duty calls" he smiled as he walked towards Danny.

Stella watched him leave, before heading back to the lab. God what she'd give just to go home.

--

It was 11.30pm when Stella finally finished for the day. She felt exhausted and was looking forward to heading home to have a shower and sleep. Before she left there was one phone call she had to make. She flipped her phone and hit speed dial 1

"You've reached Don Flack, please leave a message and I'll get back to you"

"Don, it's me. I'm heading home but if it's not too late, give me a call, I was looking forward to tonight."

Stella hung up, picked up her bag and headed home before anything else happened that would stop her leaving.

As she drove home she thought about what could have been. She enjoyed her dinners with Don. They had sort of become a permanent fixture in her week over the past few months. It started with dinner when they solved a case, then a weekly catch up dinner, and now they ate together dinner together every chance they had. He had become her best friend. This thought surprised her, it had always been Mac, he was her oldest friend, but his relationship with Peyton had allowed her to open herself up to someone else. She smiled; Don Flack was a good choice, she could tell him anything and always felt safe and protected around him. It was these feelings that had made Stella realise that she loved Don Flack Jr. She looked forward to their dinners, and time spent together that was just the two of them. While she had admitted these feelings to herself, she also had told herself that nothing was ever going to happen. Their friendship meant to much to her for her to risk it. He was her best friend and if that is all he was destined to be then that would be enough for her.

By 12.30am Stella had showered and headed to bed. It was still so hot; she opened her bedroom window to let in the faint breeze that was in the air. Don was sitting in interrogation with Danny and their suspect just hoping that he would crack soon.

--

It was 2am before Don was able to leave the precinct. He headed to his car thankful that he was at last able to leave. As he reached his car he got out his keys and smiled when he saw Stella's key. He could still remember the day she gave it to him.

"_For emergencies" she smiled_

"_You sure Stel?" he enquired_

"_Yes I trust you" she answered_

Don had taken the key with every intention of only ever using it for emergencies but then it just made sense, especially as their dinners were nearly always at her place. It was closer to the precinct and slightly bigger than his. They told themselves it just made sense, but in truth they just always felt more comfortable at her place. He even had some clothes in the spare room, where he found himself sleeping on a more and more regular basis.

Flack got in his car and headed straight for the place he knew he had to go. He'd got Stella's voicemail but decided against calling. He didn't really understand why he thought turning up at 2am would be better than calling, but he figured even if he couldn't talk to her until morning it was better than going home.

Just as Stella had done, Don thought about their relationship on his way to her place. He remembered the first time they met when he was a rookie and smiled. He always knew she was amazing and the more he got to know her, the more amazing he found her. Their friendship was the most important thing in his life. He still struggled to believe how close they had become. He knew his feelings for her were more than friendship but he also knew that if this was all he could have he would be happy. That was why he had never jeopardised it by making a move. He loved her too much to loose her, but it was also why on nights like this he needed to see her.

Don let himself in quietly as he figured she was probably asleep. He walked towards her bedroom with the intention of just looking at her before heading to the guest room to sleep. He could talk to her in the morning about their days and cases and the usual things they talked about. Right now he just needed to see her.

When he did his breath was taken away. He knew she was beautiful and had imagined her naked many a time, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight he saw. Stella was lying in bed with only a sheet for cover, only the sheet had been pushed down to the base of her spine. Her hair was tied up but a few loose strands were lying down her back. He just stood there and stared. He couldn't help himself. She curved in all the right places. It was almost as if she didn't look real. It was too perfect.

Suddenly Stella appeared to stir.

"Don" she mumbled as she opened her eyes "Is that you?"

"Um, yeah Stel. I didn't mean to wake you, I just wanted that chat, but it can wait till morning, go back to sleep" he rambled hoping she wouldn't ask how long he had been standing there or notice the obvious red colour his face had to be by now.

"Have a shower Don, I'll get us a drink" she said, still not moving, as she was acutely aware how naked she was.

"You sure?"

"Yeah"

With that Don headed to the bathroom, one to save Stella any further embarrassment when she went to get out of bed, and secondly to allow him to compose himself and remove the image of a sleeping naked Stella from his mind long enough for them to have a conversation without her realising something he'd kept hidden for a long time. As he stood under the shower, that was distinctly cold by choice, he placed his head against the wall and sighed.

Stella could hear him in the shower, so she grabbed her pyjama's and headed to the kitchen where she found two glasses and the bottle of red wine she had bought for dinner. She headed into the living room and opened a window to let some air in, as it was still hot. As she was settling down on the sofa waiting for him she wondered why she hadn't freaked out when she realised he was standing in her bedroom watching her, especially as she was naked. She knew she trusted him, but surely she should have been just a little freaked?

She heard the shower stop and realised she didn't have long to gather her thoughts. Stella was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear Don enter the room. He made her jump when he moved round the side of the sofa.

"Sorry Stel, I didn't mean to scare you"

"It's ok Don, I was miles away" she smiled

"Anywhere nice"

"Um, I'd like to find out"

Don just looked puzzled by the cryptic answer. It had been a long day, and he figured he was probably missing something.

Stella watched him, wondering why she had just said what she said.

"So, what did you want to talk about then" she asked, hoping to change the subject without Don realising she was trying to avoid explaining the answer she had given.

For the next few hours they sat and talked while drinking the bottle of wine. Don was more relaxed that he had been in days. He always felt this way with Stella, especially when it was just the two of them. He watched her as she talked. He could see the passion in her eyes as she was talking about work and the determination in her voice when she spoke about cracking cases they were yet to solve. Her passion and her fire were two of the things he loved the most about her. Stella Bonasera could be intimidating but she had one of the biggest hearts. He knew how their work affected her; he knew the pain behind her determination. He smiled, he could sit like this forever, listening to her and watching her.

It was then he realised she wasn't talking anymore, she was looking at him.

"Earth to Don" she smiled

"What" he said shaking himself out of his thoughts

"Am I that boring? You were miles away" she replied with a glint in her eye

"Sorry Stel, what were you saying?"

"So anywhere nice" she asked, mimicking his question from earlier

He looked at her and found himself saying

"Yeah it was perfect" with a smile

Now it was Stella's turn to be confused. Don had had a faraway look on his face, almost like he was daydreaming. Then it dawned on her, he was thinking about a woman. He had to be, it was the only way to explain the look on her face.

"So what's her name?" she asked, not really sure she wanted to hear the answer

He looked like a deer caught in headlights, "What"

"Well you just had that far away look, so I just figured you were thinking about a woman" Stella blushed

Don just looked at her, realising that she wasn't looking at him. She seemed to have taken a great deal of interest in the cushion she had next to her.

"I was" he said quietly, "I was thinking of you"

With this, Stella's head snapped up and she looked at him. He looked at her and realised it was now or never.

"I was just thinking about how much I like being here, talking to you" his voice was still not much more than a whisper. "Stel" he murmured as he moved closer to her "It's always been you"

Their faces were now only centimetres apart. Stella looked into Don's eyes, and saw all the feelings that had been hidden for years. She realised that he loved her as much as she loved him. Stella moved her hands up to Don's face and smiled as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him to her for a kiss that was long over due.

It took Don a few seconds for him to realise that Stella was kissing him, and then he realised he really should kiss her back. Meanwhile in those few seconds Stella was beginning to get scared that she had crossed the line, but then Don began to kiss her back and she realised she was right. As their kisses became deeper, Don pulled Stella down on top of him, allowing his hands to move from her hair, down her back. Stella moaned at his touch, as he pulled her closer to him.

"Don" she mumbled as she pulled back from him, sitting up, with him following.

"Yeah" he smiled, as he brushed the hair from her face, moving his hands down to her shoulders

"Why now?"

He smiled, taking her hands in his, linking their fingers together

"I blame the heat, it makes us New Yorkers do crazy things" he replied with a smile, leaning into her "Besides you caught me" he whispered into her ear

She tilted her head back allowing him better access to her neck which he gently started kissing, before pulling back and looking at her.

"I love you Stel, I just never thought I had a chance"

"Don I…"

"Let me finish Stel." She nodded.

"I love you and I've loved you for a long time, but you're my best friend. Stel, I couldn't risk that. I need you in my life."

Stella could hear the emotion in his voice, and when she looked into his eyes she saw it to. She smiled, "Good thing it got hot then" she whispered as she leaned in and gave him the sweetest and gentlest of kisses.

"I love you to Don" she told him as she looked into his eyes, allowing him to see all the emotion and feelings she had. "And I stare at you too, I'm just better at hiding it" she joked.

Don laughed, "Well if this is the result I'm glad you caught me" he said before leaning it to kiss her again.

--

Don woke up and glanced at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was 9am, and the sun was pouring in through the window. It was going to be another hot day.

He looked down at the bed beside him and saw Stella, his Stella, and smiled remembering the sight that had greeted him when he had arrived earlier. He thought it was the most perfect thing he would ever see. He was wrong. This was. Stella snuggled into him, her body entangled with his, her hair everywhere, and the feeling of her breath on his skin.

Smiling he kissed the top of her head, glad they both had the day off and thinking for the first time that he was glad of this heatwave. It had brought him to exactly where he wanted to be.

--

**Pls review - its my first CSI NY :)**


End file.
